From time to time, some of her thoughts slip past the door she keeps closed between us. She thinks about Vera, about what Caligos could be planning, and of Noire holding down the fort back in Jaakii.
She’s got a lot on her plate.
As the day goes by and afternoon stretches into the early evening, I start to look around for a place to set up a camp for the night.
Nix doesn’t have to say it. I know she’s…unsatisfied, to say the least. We have yet to see a single sign of dragons. Which could only mean we’re not even close to the feeding grounds.
I know that based on the wooden signs we pass occasionally that mark how far we’ve gone from the monastery. The trackers have the whole territory marked here, so it’s easy to follow the maps they gave us.
They said three days’ time until we reach the lake. Well, based on the map and the distance we covered today, it’s looking more like four to five days, maybe.
I know Nix realizes that, too.
Even her silence is angry.
“Here,” I say, pointing at a small clearing surrounded by low-hanging branches and large boulders. “This will be a good place to settle in for the night.”
Nix looks up from the map in her hand with a frown. “We’re stopping already? We’ve barely covered any distance.”
“We’ve been riding all day. The horses need a break,” I say, calmly. “Besides, we can’t travel in the pitch-dark when we don’t know these forests.”
Nix presses her lips into a thin line. That’s the only answer I get.
I let her simmer in her anger as I climb out of my saddle and tie Midnight to a nearby tree so I can better inspect the area I’ve chosen for the camp.
It’s good.
The boulders provide cover on two sides, so we only have to watch our front for any danger. It should also help conceal the flame of a campfire. The low-hanging branches from the large trees offer privacy.
I hear running water somewhere close, which means we have a way to refill the water and allow the horses to drink.
“Alright, let’s set up here,” I say and turn to Nix, who’s still mounted on Luna. “Wanna take the horses by the river to drink?”
Nix eyes Midnight. “I’m not handlinghim.”
I turn my back to her so she doesn’t see me smile. Quickly, I untie Midnight and follow the sound of the running water.
A couple of minutes’ walk away, there’s a river and farther down the stream, a large waterfall. I hold Midnight’s reins while it drinks. Nix unmounts Luna and lets her mare drink, too.
We stand in silence.
There seems to be lots of silence between us today.
Once the horses are done, we return to the clearing. We tie the horses to nearby trees.
I glance at Nix. “I’m going to set up the fire pit. Want to unsaddle the horses?”
Absentmindedly, she nods and removes the saddle from Luna’s back. The mare blows out gratefully and shakes her head. Nix pets her coat and approaches Midnight next. The moment she steps one foot forward, the stallion grunts in a warning.
A chuckle escapes me as Nix freezes in place with her palms up in the air.
She shoots me a glare. “What’s his fucking problem? He has no issue letting you close!”
Nix is a brilliant woman.
I find it unbelievable she can be so blind about things.
“You’re angry,” I say. She blinks and lowers her arms. “Anger makes you unpredictable. Animals don’t like that.”
